Criminal justice center set to reopen in April

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, November 1, 2001

The flood-ravaged Harris County Criminal Justice Center is expected to reopen in April -- 10 months after Tropical Storm Allison forced county officials to shutter it for extensive repairs.

Art Storey, the county's executive director of public infrastructure, said Wednesday he's hoping the courthouse will be ready a little earlier.

"April 1 is the target date and, if we get lucky, we can beat that and move people back in phases so we don't have everyone charging in at once," Storey said. "But I'm generally pleased ... Nobody is working at a slow pace over there."

The 20-story, $100 million downtown courthouse opened in January 2000 and houses the county's state district criminal courts, criminal courts-at-law, the district attorney's office and other criminal justice support staff.

When flooding caused by Allison swamped Houston in June, water poured into the center's basement and seeped into its first floor, destroying vital systems and electrical components.

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The damage threw the county's criminal justice system into disarray for weeks. For the most part, criminal court business is now conducted at the old Criminal Courts Building at 301 San Jacinto and the building that once housed prosecutors at 201 Fannin.

Commissioners Court was told in July that repairs would take six to eight months, and court members approved spending $16 million to fix the damage and fortify the center against future flooding. Storey said Wednesday he does not expect to spend more than that.

The court also decided to take advantage of the down time by spending an additional $1.5 million to install another elevator. Long lines for elevators have been a common complaint at the center.

Storey said he's still hopeful the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the county for some of the repair costs. Insurance and some county money are expected to cover the remaining difference.

Funding for repairs became an issue in late July, after the court gave Storey emergency authority to assemble a team of contractors to fix the center. FEMA officials like to review such plans in advance and have them go through a competitive bidding process.

Storey argued, and the court agreed, that those requirements would stall the county's "aggressive" repair schedule. So the county continued with its plans, even though it now runs the risk of getting no federal money for the project.

But Storey said he wants the center open again, and soon. Nevertheless, his office is keeping all construction and repair reports in a "federally friendly format" for FEMA to review at a later date.